A Moonlit Encounter
by YinYangWriter
Summary: Quick one-shot featuring a good friend of mine. Please review.


**A quick one-shot for a good friend of mine. I hope you enjoy it, darling. I do not own **_**Gargoyles**_**. This takes place before the episode **_**Cloud Fathers**_**.**

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><p>She would have loved to ride a horse out here. An English saddle, plenty of space to ride, and all the time she could ask for was all she wanted. Pity she had to have hurt her back.<p>

Mary was in Flagstaff, Arizona. This wasn't her first choice of vacation, but she had owed her friend a favor. Mary's friend, an artist, wanted to paint the earth carving dedicated to a trickster from some Native American culture. Mary had no idea what her friend was talking about, but she soon learned about it when she got to Flagstaff. Apparently it was a big to-do with the locals. The artist wanted Mary to get photographs of the geoglyph at different times of the day: one in the early morning, one at noon, one at sunset, and if at all possible, one in the middle of the night. Mary had gotten the first three photographs, but she didn't think she would be allowed to take a picture of it after dark.

It was Mary's last day in Arizona and she decided to get the final photo for her friend. Lucky for her, there was a full moon out tonight and barely a cloud in the sky. Mary drove to the geoglyph and brought out her camera. She parked a little ways away so her car wouldn't draw too much attention. She rolled her eyes at the thought. What attention? There was no one out here but her. There was a howl and several yips. Mary amended the thought when she remembered there were coyotes out here. She silently prayed that none of them would come after her.

The moon's light was perfect for Mary to take pictures. She lifted to the camera to her face and took a few photographs. She lowered the camera and stared at the carving for several moments. The carving was the face of a coyote. When she took the other photographs, Mary never noticed that there was a certain magic to the carving. In the moonlight, it almost looked like it was alive. Mary shivered at the idea of the ground opening up and a giant coyote monster appearing to destroy Flagstaff. She then smirked, making a quick mental note to tell her friend about the idea.

Mary packed up her camera. There was a strangeness to the night air, but she ignored it. _Just my imagination,_ she thought as she zippered the camera bag shut. She picked it up, placed it over her shoulder, and turned to walk back to her car. She let out a scream.

Standing behind her was a young native man dressed in jeans, a white shirt, and a black jacket. He smirked at her.

"H-h-how long have you been there?" stammered Mary, looking around. Where the heck had he come from? After a moment of looking at him, Mary really didn't care. He was extremely cute and that's all that mattered in her mind. She knew she probably wasn't allowed to be here in the middle of the night. Maybe if she could flirt with him, she could get herself out of this without any trouble.

"The entire time," replied the native with a smirk. He looked at her camera bag. "A little late to be taking photographs, isn't it?"

Mary smiled. "My friend wants some. She's an artist. I don't know what she has in mind for them, but I'll find out once I get home."

"Well, you have your pictures," said the native. "Best be on your way."

Mary smiled again and walked back to her car. She put the key in and turned it. Nothing happened. Mary tried again. Nothing.

"Ah, great!" she griped. "This is what I get for getting the cheap rental."

The native hadn't gone anywhere. He walked to the front of the car. "Pop the hood."

Mary complied.

After a few seconds, the native closed the hood. "Okay! Now try."

Mary turned the key again and it started right up. "Thank you," she said.

"No problem," said the native. "Just tell the people who rented it to you that it needs some maintenance."

"I wish I had something to give you," said Mary. "Do you need a ride anywhere?"

The native shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"Well, thanks again," said Mary.

Mary turned the wheel and started off the way she came. She looked in the rear-view mirror and saw nothing but a small whirlwind that was disappearing.

"What the heck?" Mary slowed down and turned around in her seat. The native was gone. But how? Surely she would have seen him walk off. Mary decided not to question it and she drove back to town.

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><p>In the morning, Mary went to the car rental place to return her car.<p>

"It wouldn't start for me last night," she told them. "A nice young man helped me out. He said that it needs a little work."

The mechanic went out to take a look at it. In the meantime, Mary signed some paperwork and got her deposit back.

"Excuse me, miss?" said the mechanic. "You said you drove this thing here this morning?"

"That's right," said Mary. "You saw me drive in, didn't you?"

The mechanic sighed. "I don't know how you even got it started this morning," he said. "The battery is corroded."

"Who was the young man how got it started for you?" asked the woman behind the counter.

"Just some native guy who showed up," replied Mary.

The woman and the mechanic looked at each other.

"You wouldn't happened to be by the earth carving when this happened, would you?" asked the mechanic.

Mary wasn't sure what to say. Could she get in trouble for being out there in the middle of the night?

"Yeah," she said, a little worried.

The woman giggled. "He must have taken a liking to you. Either that or he wanted you gone."

Mary frowned. "Who?"

"Why, Coyote the Trickster," the woman replied. "Haven't you heard the stories?"

Mary smirked. Coyote the Trickster? As in the one who the carving was dedicated to? These guys were loony.

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><p>At home, Mary went to her friend's art studio.<p>

"Hey, Lena," she said. "I got your photos."

"Thank you so much," said Lena, taking the envelope of photos from Mary. She immediately spread them out on the kitchen table.

Mary got herself something to drink.

"Mary," said Lena with a frown.

"Yeah?"

"Did you do anything special with these pictures when you took these?" Lena asked.

"No. Why?" Mary walked over to Lena to look over her shoulder.

"Look at this," said Lena. "These three are fine, but when I looked at this one you took at night."

Mary looked at the photograph she took the night she ran into the native. The eyes of the earth carving looked like they were glowing an eerie shade of green.

"A trick of the light?" asked Lena.

"I don't know," said Mary.

"Well, whatever it is, it's cool. I think I just found my favorite."

Between the incident with the car and the one just now with the photograph, Mary was beginning to wonder if she had really seen Coyote the Trickster.

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><p><strong>Mary may not know what she saw, but we know! It's just a quick one-shot, like I said. Tell me what you think.<strong>


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